A Method Truly Sublime (The Commander) Read Online Free PDF Page B

planted with Focus Ackermann.  Tiny flickers of anger surrounded Focus Rizzari’s eyes, a poor contrast to her cheery shorts and halter-top, ludicrous in the sleety weather.
    Zielinski shivered just to look at the Focus, who in addition to her crazy halter-top, also sported remnants of snow and slush on her wet bare feet.  Not a Major Transform show-off, he wore a sensible winter coat, gloves, a hat, and a warm fleece scarf Glory’s mother made for him twenty years ago.  He waved a gloved finger at both Focuses and nervously adjusted his dated and out of style hat.  “I don’t want to bother you with this, Lori, but I think I need to leave.”
    A look of anguish and annoyance crossed her face.  Very well done, and he could believe as much of her anguish as he chose to.  She wanted him to stay, at least today she did.  The Focus pulled a dirty Adirondack chair over for Focus Ackermann, then pulled another over for herself and sat down.
    “Come on, Henry, you’re not thinking,” the Focus said, a charismatic yank that once would have sent him metaphorically sprawling.  “You’re letting Carol’s capture get to you emotionally.  There’s still a price on your head.”
    “I’d be something other than human if I didn’t let my emotions get to me regarding Carol,” he said, nicely arch.  “I’m also willing to do something about it.”
    Flo sat, gently, closely watching the emotional charged zings batted back and forth between the two of them like a tennis ball in a tennis match.
    “Given the mess this is becoming, you, if anyone, need to stay emotionally detached,” Lori said.
    Flo frowned.  “Alright, time out, you two!” she said, voice powerful and parental.  Focus Ackermann put on the airs of a happy-go-lucky late teen, but much of her image came from the fact that like all Focuses, she appeared to be nineteen years old.  She was buxom and well padded, had long light auburn hair shot through with light golden streaks, and a fun face, normally highlighted by a big smile.  Not right now, though.
    She might play the lightweight, but in reality , Flo was anything but.  Flo was treasurer for the Northeast Region of the United Focuses of America and a deft wielder of both Focus style charisma and normal charisma.  She and Focus Rizzari had both transformed in 1961.  Zielinski had picked up some of their old history recently; at first, they had despised each other in a natural ‘Brookline Heiress’ vs ‘Lowell Working Class Homebody’ way.  However, after Lori and her household dreamt up the Cause (to save all Transforms from the coming demographic nightmare, where nearly everyone would transform) and Flo had won herself her first UFA political post (regional government and professional liaison, a thankless post no Focus ever wanted) they had at first allied and later become friends.  He met Flo through her first political post, and they had hit it off from the start.  Flo’s current household was located in Wakefield, in an old and small cola bottling plant they were renovating into lofts.  Flo had been the one who had arranged for him to meet Lori, but only after she judged Focus Rizzari civilized enough to deal with him.
    He more than occasionally suspected Flo might have jumped the gun.
    “So, tell me what’s going on between you two freaks of nature,” Flo said, a charismatic demand, after both he and the Focus had painfully smiled at each other and tried to relax.
    “That’s not anything I want to talk about,” the Focus said, ignoring Flo’s charisma.
    Flo frowned at Zielinski.  “Give,” she said.
    “I get on Lori’s nerves.  I’m not really part of Inferno and I ’ve learned too many house secrets,” Zielinski said, saying more than he should.  He had been hiding out in Inferno for almost six months, dodging a hit put out on him by a still unknown faction of first Focuses.  His comment made him feel like he was abusing the work Inferno did to protect him.